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Ashok was raised in a shadar-kai enclave located in a series of large caves north of Ikemmu. Ashok's father was the enclave's leader and he encouraged his sons to fight each other. Ashok's childhood was hardly idyllic as he had to constantly fight his brothers for standing within the clan. As a young man, he gained his father's approval by killing a brother in self defense in front of his father.[1]

In 1479 DR, the shadar-kai-ruled city of Ikemmu sent a scouting party led by the witchIlvani to investigate the area near Ashok's enclave. At the same time, Ashok's father became concerned about a pack of shadow hounds near the enclave and he sent Ashok to eliminate the pack.[1]

Ashok killed the pack but was gravely wounded. He was found by a group of shadar-kai from Ikkemu who took him back to the city. The shadar-kai healed Ashok's wounds and he was given permission to roam the city, though he was always watched. Uwan, the leader of Ikemmu, believed Ashok could be useful to the city and encouraged Ashok to train with the city's warriors. Ashok was allowed to attempt to tame a nightmare that had been captured by Ikemmu and was successful enough that he was able to ride the creature as a steed.[1]

Ashok was sent on an expedition led by Vedoran to rescue Ilvani's party from the shadar-kai enclave. Ashok used his knowledge of his clan's caves to lead the group through the complex to free Ilvani, but the other members of Ilvani's group were already dead. During the rescue attempt, Ashok's nightmare came to his aid, slaughtering many shadar-kai.[1]

Vedoran suspected that the enclave was Ashok's home and conspired with a priest of Beshaba to frame Ashok as a traitor to Ikemmu. Uwan found Ashok guilty and sentenced him to ten days of solitary confinement, a sentence that could be fatal to shadar-kai, who required constant sensory stimulus to avoid fading to oblivion. During Ashok's confinement, Vedoran attempted to kill Ashok in his cell but was stopped by Uwan, although Uwan was seriously injured. Vedoran was killed by Ashok during the fight.[1]

in 1480 DR, Ashok traveled with a caravan from Ikemmu to Rashemen to discover the source of the spirits that were plaguing Ilvani. Along the road, he helped battle bandits, trolls, and winter wolves. When the group arrived in Rashemen, he helped Ilvani defeat the WychlaranSree, which put an end to Ilvani's hauntings.[2]

Ashok was a close fried of Cree and Skagi and was a friend of Chanoch prior to his execution. Because of his martial prowess and because he was named chosen of Tempus, Uwan respected Ashok, but Ashok didn't fully trust Uwan.[1]